Nigeria: Naomi Campbell shines at the 20th ARISE Fashion Week

In Lagos, catwalk goddess Naomi Campbell opened the ARISE Fashion Week and Jazz Festival 2023 event three days ago. This Fashion Week, which is drawing to a close, is celebrating its 20ᵉ anniversary.

The creations of the African designers, bursting with colour and accompanied by a jazz-electro atmosphere, brought the catwalk to life under this year's theme: "Future Forward".

Abasiekeme Ukanireh, designer of the Éki Kéré collection, has decided to leap a century into the future:

"The collection I'm presenting today is my vision of the future, of the next 100 years. With the environmental crisis we're going through today, we're just talking about what's happening now and what might happen in the short term, but we're not really projecting into what's likely to happen over the next 100 years."

Graceful, sophisticated and boldly highlighted, each outfit created by Joy Meribe was like a walking work of art. The queens of the show seduced with their steamy, glamorous style. Joy Ijeoma Meribe, a Nigerian designer based in Milan, explains her approach:

"I consider my style to be Afropolitan, a mix of Afro, which has its roots in my cultural heritage, and Metropolitan, which embodies mainstream fashion. So it's just a fusion of the two, of Afro and current trends."

Renowned painter and fashion designer Mokodu Fall has made an impression by integrating his paintings into his fashion creations, creating veritable tableaux d'honneur illustrating the pioneers in the development of African culture:

"My message for this ARISE 2023 Fashion Week in Lagos is to show the beauty of Africa. To present our magnificent Africa on the international stage in a way that is different from what we are used to seeing. Because you know, I travel a lot around the world, and what I see in Africa affects me deeply, especially the scenes of misery and poverty, which are often misinterpreted. But with fashion, it's possible to show the world just how beautiful Africa is.

Originally, this music and fashion festival was confined to Nigeria. Today, it has become a highlight of the global fashion calendar, celebrating culture and style from all over Africa.